Pakistan and Turkey on Sunday agreed to enhance bilateral trade and economic cooperation at a meeting of President Arif Alvi with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ashgabat on his visit to Turkmenistan.

The two leaders concurred to further strengthen the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) to achieve its objectives and underlined the need for collective efforts of the region, particularly of the Islamic countries, to stop Islamophobia.

President Alvi said there was a need to work together to tackle the challenges faced by the region. He thanked the Turkish President for Turkey’s principled stance on the issue of Kashmir.

Earlier, President Alvi also met Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and exchanged views on bilateral ties, trade and economic cooperation.

He stressed the need for increasing political contacts between Pakistan and Azerbaijan.

The leaders agreed to further strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation at the regional and international forums.